Fragments of the Past
by KoriTheEvilEditor
Summary: The first of the "Memories" trilogy. Bakura is seperate from ryou, but weird nightmares have been tortuing him since the seperation. where does tea fit in?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! This is my second fanfiction sooooooo yeah I don't know how good it will be. PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Fragments of the Past**

_Hot sand blew around Bakura ina mini storm, whipping his clothes aroundand stinging any exposed skin. He was dressed in clothing from ancient Egypt, curved sword in his hands._

_ Bakura saw another sword glinting through the sand and dodged as the owner lunged at him. He caught the man in the arm with his own sword. The man turned, lunging once more. Bakura easily knocked the blade aside and kicked the man in the chest. He fell to the ground roughly. Bakura pressed his blade to the man's throat, smirking._

_ Suddenly, a scream behind Bakura made him turn. A woman stood not to far away, a knife jammed into her stomach. Bakura ran to her, knowing he was to late to save her but unable to stop himself. She fell, limp, into his arms. Her mouth moved to tell him something but all that came out was a strangled gasp. Pain shot through him as the light faded from her eyes._

_ Bakura's throat closed around a scream of pain and loss..._

Bakura's eyes snapped open. He was drenched in cold sweat and his mouth was open, ready to scream. He closed it quickly,not wanting to alert the other boy in the house. He didn't understand why Ryou worried about him so much, it was quite annoying at times.

He shivered as the dream ran across his memory again. He shook his head vigorously, trying to rid himself of the horror and loss that the nightmare always ground into his mind. He glanced at the clock. 7:15. "Shit," he mumbled, it was supposed to ring an hour ago. He dragged himself out of bed, stumbling towards the closet. He caught a glance of himself in the mirror.

He looked like crap. Dark purple circles hung under his eyes, which were dull and lifeless. He blinked a few times, trying to get rid of the person in the reflection. That tired, weak person who looked broken, dead.

He yanked open his closet door, grabbing his uniform. Wonderful way to start his first day of school. 'Great,' he thought,' just great.'


	2. Chapter 2

**me: HELLLOOOO FRIENDSS!*jumps up and down and sets off firecrackers***

**Bakura: *facepalm* Please shut up..**

**me: NEVER!**

**Bakura: *walking away* I dont know you, I don't know you...**

**Ryou: Read and review *cute smile***

_Disclaimer: Lets see I own all 7 harry potters lots of manga but i dont own yugioh...yet._

Fragments of the Past: chapter 2

Ryou checked the time again, 'Where are those guys,' he thought, ' If I'm late I'm gonna kill Joey...'

Bakura leaned against a stop sign, eyes almost shut. He didn't see Joey walking up until the blonde shouldered him into the ground.

"The hell, Wheeler!" the teen growled, pulling himself onto his feet. He started for Joey, fists clenched.

Joey dropped his bookbag and cracked his knuckles. "Got a problem,Baka?"

Ryou threw himself between the two before a fight could break out. "Come on, you shouldn't fight, we have to get to school!"

After a brief moment, the two continued to glare at each other before Bakura turned away and stalked down the street. Joey shrugged and followed the former yami down the street.

THroughout the day, Bakura slumped against his desk, half-asleep. He barely heard the teachers, but he really didn't care about what they had to say. It was all the same. Blah, blah, blah, rules, blah, blah, blah, dress code, blah, blah, blah, PAY ATTENTION!

Bakura stepped out of classroom as the last bell rang. He stalked down the hallway stoping only when a snarky voice behind him. "Stop, you are violating school dress code policy!"

Bakura stopped and yturned to glare at the person. It was the student council president. "How so?"

"You have your shirt untucked, your hair is long and wild, and you have a peircing!"

Bakura touched the gold ring on his ear. He had gotten the peircing meerly to further separate himself from Ryou.

His death glare deepened and the guy visibly gulped. Bakura took a step toward him. "If my shirt was tucked in, it wouldn't make me a good student." The student backed up into the lockers. "If my hair was short and neat, it wouldn't make me a nice guy." The president gulped again, cowering. "And if my ear wasn't pierced, it wouldn't mean that I couldn't kick your ass acrodss Japan!"

"Bakura," he heard his former hikari call to him. "Quit terrorizing the public and get over here!"

Bakura rolled his eyes and stalked toward Ryou's group. "I wasn't terrorizing the public, just some stupid kid."

"Just leave them alone before you get a detention."

"Whatever I wouldn't go anyway."

Ryou sighed and started for home.

That night, Bakura woke up again. Same nightmare, and he couldn't get back to sleep. He lay in bed, staring at the ceiling and cursing his memories.

Finally, he couldn't stand it anymore. He got up and changed into a t-shirt and jeans. He slid open the window and felt the cool night breeze on his face. He jumped out the second story window and landed, kneeling on the ground. He shot back up and strode down the street toward the park.

Once he was in the middle of the tree covered park, he jumped into the tallest tree and climbed to the top.

Being so high up relaxed him somehow. Watching the world from his perch drove the thoughts of his dark dreams from his mind temporarilly. He had sat on the top of his house for the longest time , until the neighbor had calledthe police, thinking that he was a burgaler, twice. How ironic.

Bakura leaned against the tree, pulling his jacket tighter around him. After three years in Ryou's body and two months in his own, he still wasn't used to Japan's weather. '_Ra,I want to go back to Egypt._'

His eye caught a figure walking through the park. Female, brown hair, a school ...uniform? Anzu?

Bakura lept from branch to branch following the girl. '_Why is she here? Little Mrs. Cheerleader is spending the night in the park?'_

He was almost directly over her now. As his foot landed on the next branch, he heard a cracking sound. '_Oh, shit._' The branch gave way and he fell, landing hard on the sidewalk. "OOF!"

Stunned, the white-haired teen struggled to catch his breath. Once his chest loosened, he took a deep breath and opened his eyes. Anzu stared at him, eyes wide. "Umm, Bakura? What are you doing here?"

Bakura coughed, "I should ask you the same question."

"I asked you first," the brunette pointed out.

Bakura glared at her. "I couldn't sleep. Happy?"

Anzu rolled her eyes," Neither could I."

An uncomfortable silence followed. Bakura turned and walked away, not particuarly wanting to deal with the girl, or anyone, at the moment.

Footsteps trailed after him, Anzu quickly catching up to him. "D-did you follow me? And why were you in a tree? Bakura-"

Bakura turned on her, glaring feircely. "Listen, Mazaki," he spat,"Stop following me, quit talking to me, And just take your damn questions and leave. It's bad enough that I have to deal with you and your cheer squad at school but outside of there I'm asking that you let me be!" Bakura grit his teeth and turned to walk away again, but paused for a moment. "Why _are_ you following me anyway?"

He turned his head for a second. Anzu stood with her arms across her chest. "And _you_ won't answer _ my_ questions!?"

Bakura sighed and shook his head. "Fine," he hissed," Yes, I followed you because I was curious as to why someone like you would be in the park in the middle of the night. I was in the trees because I prefer to be higher up. Now, your turn, Mazaki."

It was Anzu's turn to sigh. "I just wanted to have some company and well, I just kinda wanted to talk to you..."

Bakura raised and eyebrow. "_Me!?_ You wanted to talk to _me?_ And why, may I ask?"

Anzu looked down at her feet. "W-well, it's just that- that ever since , uh-"

"SPIT IT OUT, MAZAKI!"

"Ever since you and Ryou were seperated, you've been getting more and more, well, depressed."

"And, what? Do you think that you can help me?" Bakura growled, wishing he hadn't asked.

"No it's just that I kind of wanted to try and get to know you, sicnce the whole thing with the pharoh is over, and-"

"If you think that I'm just going to join in your little group and become one of your cheerleaders, your sadly mistaken. And for the record, though my deal with Shadi keeps me from killing the pharoh, our grudge is not over, and it never will be."

Bakura continued to try to leave the girl behind, but she persistently stayed beside him. She stayed quiet for most of the time, acasionally asking questions, but not being picky about whether or not she got and answer.

After an unusually long silence, Bakura looked over and she wasn't there. She was running into an icecream shop. Bakura sighed and began to leave, but something made him hesitate. He growled about the stupid girl and headed after her.

As he opened the door, his eyes narrowed. A blonde guy behind the counter smirked at Anzu, though she seemed oblivious. "I want a, um, chocolate dipped cone with a double scoop of vanilla."

"That'll be $5,45, kay hot stuff," the blond winked at Anzu and she blushed.

Bakura strode to the counter. "Make that two," he said, slapping a twenty on the counter. Blondie gulped and scooped the cones.

"Here you go, and h-here's your change." Bakura took his ice cream and grabbed Anzu's arm.

"B-bakura, w-what are you doing!?"

Once they were outside, Bakura let her go and walked ahead. "You need to pay more attention or your going to get yourself raped."

"I can take care of my self, Bakura. And I don't think that guy what planning on raping me."

"You never know. Plus, your just to trusting of everyone. It's going to get you into trouble one of these days."

"So your saying I should trust noone at all, like you."

Bakura stopped," If you never trust anyone, they can't let you down."

"But if you never trust anyone, then you can't get close to anyone!"

"If you get close to people you just get hurt, or they let you down. It's better if you don't take the risk and just look out for yourself."

Anzu had stopped as well, just behind Bakura. "That sounds awfully lonely."

Bakura rolled his eyes and continued walking, "Go home, Mazaki."

"Okay, see you at school Bakura."

Bakura rolled his eyes and continued his walk home. '_Stupid girl_."

**me: I have done amazzinggggg!**

**Bakura: But you spelled a bunch of words wrong. How is that amazing? **

**(5 minutes later)**

**me: *looking at a tied up and gagged Bakura***

**Ryou: Did you have to?**

**me: Yes, that'll teach him to be so negative.**

**Ryou: *sigh* Read and review. And pray she doesn't kill him before the next chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3

**me: hello again devoted readers. sorry it took awhile for me to post**

**Ryou: Why is Bakura still tied up?**

**me: because he just is...do the disclaimer will you**

**Ryou: She owns nothing...except...nope nothing**

**Fragments of the Past: Chapter 3**

Bakura slumped on his desk, tuning out the teacher the best that he could. He was counting the seconds until the lunch bell rang and he could finally have a little while of freedom. 3...2...1...bring. Bakura was the first one out of the classroom.

He searched the schoolyard for a minute before smirking and climbing into a tree. He stretched out and watched the other students running around the school, eating, goofing around and whatnot.

Bakura leaned against the tree and closed his eyes. He yawned, tired as ever and wondered if he could get a bit of sleep in before lunch was over.

He was almost asleep when he heard the leaves below him rustling as someone else made their way up the tree. The branch he was resting on swayed slightly and Bakura groaned, opening his eyes a bit. Anzu sat a bit further down the branch, holding on tightly to the branches on either side of her so that she didn't fall off.

"What are you doing up here, Masaki?" Bakura asked grumpily, half tempted to nudge her with his foot so that she would fall. The ground wasn't to far away, she probably wouldn't get hurt. Probably.

Anzu's face was paler than normal."H-hey Bakura...just was wondering where you were. Ryou was worried you left..."

Bakura laughed," The little twerp should know better. I know better than to get my ass yelled at by him and Shadi."

Anzu gave him a small smile. "And...I kinda wanted to ask you something ..."

Bakura raised and eyebrow, "If you want me to come on some little friendship retreat... then no."

Anzu rolled her eyes. "Well, I wouldn't call it a friendship retreat, exactly... But the guys and me are going to go to the skating rink and I was wondering if you would maybe..."

"Tag along? I don't think so."

Anzu sighed. "Well, it was just a thought. Ever since you and Ryou were seperated, you've been... I don't know, sort of depressed or whatever."

Bakura laughed. "And you think that skating with your little pep squad will magically make me feel all better?"

Anzu's face went slightly pink. "No, but I thought it might get your mind off whatever it is that's bugging you." She began climbing down. "If you change your mind just talk to Ryou."

**Bakura: ...That thoroughly sucked...Am I right readers?**

**Ryou: *gasp* That was mean! XC**

**Me: *fuming* THAT'S IT! *opens door to fangirl closet***

**Fangirls: AHHHHHHHH! BAKURA!**

**Bakura: 0.o...O.O... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**

**Me: *shoves Bakura into fangirl closet* **

***screams are heard***

**Me: OKAY...Read and review**


	4. Chapter 4

**Me: I'MMMMM BAAAAACK!**

**Bakura: No one cares...**

**Me: I care. *sniffles***

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><strong>Fragments of the Past: Chapter 4

The bright lights of the rink pulsed rapidly, adding to Bakura's growing headache. Loud music made his ears ring and he was sick of people crashing into him, even if they were unable to control themselves.

His skates still sat under the edge of the table, rolling a bit forward as the music vibrated the floor. A hand tapped his head and he glared up at Anzu.

"What?" he snapped.

She rolled her eyes. "You came to a skating rink, silly. You have to wear the skates."

She giggled when Bakura let out a groan. "I showed up isn't that enough?"

"Nope."

A staring (or should it be glaring?) contest ensued and Bakura eventually sighed. He laced up the wheeled shoes and stood up, only to have his feet roll out from under him. He lost his balance and Anzu caught his arm just before he hit the ground. He yanked it away and abruptly fell to the hard floor. Anzu was clearly trying very hard not to laugh, and reached out a hand to help him up.

Bakura only glared at the hand and used the table beside him to hoist himself up. He was more careful about moving forward.

Anzu skated smoothly beside him,offering helpful tips. "Keep your feet about shoulder width. If their to close together you'll trip." "Try not to lean forward or backward, just keep right above your feet."

"Shut up,Mazaki," he muttered, but was taking in the information. When he started to get the hang of it, he rolled onto the rink. He skated faster, keeping his balance quite well. At least until some girl shoved him from behind and casused him to tumble forward. He threw out his hands to catch himself and landed hard on his wrist, only to have his hand run over by a skate.

He shook the injured hand and stood up, cursing fairly loudly. He leaned against the wall, trying to get a good look at the injury in the constantly moving lights. Someone stopped next to him and he glanced over.

"You okay?" Anzu asked, worry clear in her voice.

"Fine, just _freaking_ fine, Mazaki!" he growled.

She was quiet for a moment. "What were you saying out there?"

Bakura frowned, "What are you talking about?"

"After you fell, you were saying something, but it was in, like, some forgein language. Not Japanese."

Bakura thought back and realized she was right. "It was...Arabic..."

Anzu raised her eyebrows, "You know Arabic?"

"Of course I know Arabic! Where do you think I'm from?!"

"Oh, right, sorry. That was a stupid question."

"Yeah, it was!"

"Sorry."

"For Ra's sake, Mazaki. Stop apologizing!"

She looked down. Even though it was what he had been begging for, the silence made Bakura uncomfortable. "Why don't you go hang out with your friends," he suggested," I can't be much fun to be around."

Anzu laughed. She was about to reply when the DJ interrupted.

_"Yo all you skaters, for these next two songs, grab yo sweetheart and hold their hand. This is a couples skate."_

Bakura snorted as people started pairing up. The pharoh rolled by, holding hands with some random girl. Bakura also saw Valentine with Wheeler, the little midget with Hawkins and Ryou with some blonde.

Bakura was suddenly very aware of Anzu next to him. Her hair hung in her face, sweat making it stick slightly. Her eyes flickered through the crowd and rested on the pharoh. For some reason, this made Bakura's fists clench. He shook his head and was so involved with trying to get the strange thoughts out of his head that he didn't notice when Anzu said something.

"What?" he said.

Her face reddened slightly. "Would y-you like t-to skate, maybe...?"

Bakura's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

Anzu looked at the ground. "I mean like if you would want to or something because, like I don't know... nevermind..."

Bakura watched her face turn competely red and found his hand holding hers suddenly. She looked up as he began to stand. She stood with him and they began to move slowly.

The first song drew to a close as they began a sort of race. Anzu began to weave quickly through the other skaters, almost leaving Bakura behind. Bakura smirked as the next song came on.

_Made a wrong turn once or twice_

_Dug my way out _

_Blood and fire_

_Bad decisions_

_That's alright_

_Welcome to my silly life_

_Mistreated, Misplaced, Misunderstood_

_Miss no way its all good_

_That didn't slow me down_

_Mistaken, Always second guessing, Underestimated_

_Look I'm still around_

Bakura caught up to Anzu and was soon passing her. He led her around the rink and through the crowd.

_Pretty, pretty please _

_Don't you ever, ever feel_

_That your less than, less than perfect_

_Pretty, pretty please_

_Don't you ever, ever feel _

_Like your nothing _

_You are perfect _

_To me_

Anzu smirked at the white haired teen and tried to catch up, but Bakura had caught on quickly. She settled for letting him lead and pulled him back a bit.

_Your so mean_

_When you talk about yourself_

_You are wrong_

_Change the voices in your head_

_Make them like you instead_

_So complicated _

_Look happy you'll make it_

_Filled with so much hatred_

_Such a tired game_

_It's enough _

_I've done all I can think of_

_Chased down all my demons_

_I've seen you do the same_

_Oh, pretty, pretty please_

_Don't you ever, ever feel_

_That your less than, less than perfect_

_Pretty, pretty please_

_Don't you ever, ever feel _

_Like your nothing _

_You are perfect _

_To me_

Bakura looked back to see Anzu smling at him. He felt his face heat up and turned around.

_The whole world stares so I swallow the fear_

_The only thing I should be drinking is an ice cold beer_

_So cool in line and we try try try _

_But we try to hard and its a waste of my time_

_Done lookin for the critics cause their everywhere_

_They don't like my jeans_

_They don't get my hair_

_We change ourselves and we do it all the time_

_Why do we do that, Why do we do that_

_Why do I do that_

_Yeahhhh_

_Oh pretty, pretty, pretty_

_Pretty, pretty please _

_Don't you ever, ever feel_

_That your less than, less than perfect_

_Pretty, pretty please_

_Don't you ever, ever feel _

_Like your nothing _

_You are perfect _

_To me_

As the chorus sounded for the last time, Bakura tripped..._again._ He fell forward and pulled Anzu down on top of him as everyone around them scattered. He was dazed for a moment before he realized the position they were in.

She was sprawled across his chest, their legs tangled together. Bakura felt his face heat up competely. He tried to get up and only succeded in intertwining them more.

Anzu laughed at him as he tried to untangle them. "You think this is _funny_, Mazaki!?" he snapped.

She bit her lip to stop the chuckling. She picked herself out of the tangled limbs and stood, holding out a hand. He took it reluctantly and stood.

They left the rink and sat at a table on the sideline. Bakura imediately began to unlace his skates. Anzu bent down to do the same.

"You tired too, Mazaki?"

She was quiet for a moment. "You can call me Anzu...if you want..."

Bakura stood up and helped her to her feet. "I'm leaving," he announced.

He walked out the door and heard Anzu trailing after him. She grabbed his shoulder to try and catch up and he yanked it away. A wave of hurt flashed across her face and she looked down to hide it.

Bakura felt stirrings of guilt in his stomach, but quickly dismissed them. "Why do you always follow me anyway, Maza- Anzu?" Her name felt both strange and comfortable rolling off his tongue.

She thought for a second. "I don't know. Your interesting." She shrugged and walked away.

**Me: So okay my name has changed...I am now KORITHEEVILEDITOR! Dun DUn DUNNNN!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Please read and review**

Fragments of the Past: chapter 5

Bakura yawned, his eyes drifting closed. His feet ached and he had that annoying song from the skating rink running through his head on replay. The rough bark of the tree trunk dug into the back of his school uniform. He wasn't in the tree this time though, he was on the ground.

He was almost alseep when he heard rustling from beside him. he opened one eye. It was Anzu. Why the hell did this girl keep bothering him?

"What is it this time, Mazaki?"

She frowned. "I told you to call me Anzu, Bakura...and I just wanted to give you this."

She handed him a box.

"And what is this exactly..?"

She fidgeted a bit. "Well, I noticed you never seemed to eat anything at lunch and I thought you might be hungry..."

Bakura blinked. "You made me lunch?"

Anzu clenched her fists, having mistaken his surprise with arrogance. "Well if you don't want it just throw it away!" she growled as she stalked off.

Bakura started to open the lid when he heard Anzu's voice from a few feet away, where she had stopped for a moment. "I didn't know what you liked, so I made a bit of everything."

Bakura listened to her retreating footsteps until they disappeared and opened the lunch. 'Woah,' he thought, looking at the food. There were potstickers, onigiri, takoyaki, normal fried rice, curry, and dishes Bakura didn't even know the name of. She really had made a bit of everything. "Stupid woman," he smirked, beginning to eat.

As the school day ended, Bakura found Ryou and the others laughing in the schoolyard. As he caught up to the group all talk and laughter died down. He saw the sideways glances.

Ryou turned and smiled at him. "You can head home, Kura. We'll be going to the arcade. There are leftovers in the fridge if you get hungry before I get home."

Bakura sighed. "Fin-" he was cut off when someone crashed into him from behind.

"Sorry, I'm late," Anzu said. "And sorry about running into you like that, Bakura. I kinda tripped."

"Well, then watch where your going, Mazaki," he growled, only half serious.

Anzu laughed. "Are you coming to the arcade with us?"

Bakura opened his mouth to say,'Hell no.'

"Please, Bakura. It'll be fun," Anzu said.

Bakura sighed. "Fine, if you shut up, I'll go along with you."

Anzu smiled at him.

The rest of the group began to walk forward and Bakura lagged at the back.

Anzu fell back alongside him. "Hey Bakura."

Bakura just looked at her, but she didn't push it.

After a few minutes Bakura glanced over at her. "The onigiri..."

She looked at him, "What?"

He looked sheepish. "I liked the onigiri best...though as for foods I like, it's mainly steak and fruit. Pomegranets are good..."

She was staring at him. Bakura felt his face becoming warm. He glanced at her and found her smiling at him.

"Thank you, Bakura."


	6. Chapter 6

**Fragment of the past chpater 6**

The arcade rose up in front of them. Bakura frowned as they stepped inside. There were children running wildly around the place. A small boy crashed into Bakura. Bakura glared at him and the child ran terrified back to his mother.

Bakura watched the group scatter. Ryou stopped and came back. "Bakura, I almost forgot that you don't have a gaming card." He grabbed the taller teens hand and pulled him to the front desk.

Once Bakura had his card, Ryou left to find his friends. Bakura weaved through the large machines, his gaze jumping from game to game.

One finally caught his eye. 'MONSTER HOUSE!' was emblazoned across the top in bloody red letter that dripped toward a rather large screen. Images of deformed and terrifying creatures flashed across the screen.

Bakura grabbed the plastic gun attached to the game and swiped his card. The first level started slow and boring. Bakura frowned. Where was the fun in this? He rolled his eyes and then almost jumped as a twisted humaniod creature jumped from the ceiling and slashed it claws across the screen. Three bloody gashes appeared and faded quickly, one of the three health packs in the corner of the screen now gone.

Bakura cursed under his breath and pulled the trigger. He kept his guard up and soon found a health pack to replace his lost one. Bakura's eyes narrowed as he reached the boss of this level. It was some kind of giant with beady eyes and bloodstained teeth. Bakura grit his teeth and aimed the best he could. He lost two health packs by the time he defeated the thing.

The next few levels are the same pattern. A small crowd was behind him. Bakura smirked and went to work on the next boss. This one was a huge spider that lunged for him. He shot many bullets, but this one was much faster than the others. It grabbed him in its hairy legs and sank its fangs into his chest. The last health pack faded and a bloody 'GAME OVER' flashed across the screen.

Bakura growled and shoved the gun back into the holder. He turned to walk away when a teenager near him grabbed his shoulder. "Not so fast," the boy said, pointing back at the game. Bakura wanted to tell the boy to get his hands off of him when he glanced back. The high score board was up. "ENTER YOUR NAME." He wasn't first but he was close. He had three letters to enter. What should he put?

A smirk crept onto his face as he entered. "T""K""B".

"So what's your name?" The boy asked.

"Bakura," Bakura said, walking away.

The boy looked confused. "Then why is the first letter a "T"?"

Bakura chuckled and answered quietly. "Theif King Bakura."

He heard music booming from around the corner. He looked and saw Anzu playing, of course, a dance game. He remembered Ryou talking about Anzu taking dance lessons, but he never imagined how good she was. He watched her move in time to the music, hips swinging quickly and arms moving.

He felt his mouth fall open slightly. He swallowed. He couldn't pull his eyes away from her. The song ended and she turned, smiling.

Her eyes locked with his and her smile widened.

He turned quickly and moved for the door, shoving past Ryou on his way.

"I'm leaving," he said gruffly.


	7. Chapter 7

**Fragments of the Past: Chapter 7**

_This was too much. Sands blinded Bakura, the wind that assaulted him forcing him to his knees. This was different than before._

_ Tension filled Bakura. What was going on? _

_ Suddenly, a woman's scream cut through the storm. This time, a name appeared in his head as he heard the shout. _

_ "Sanura!" He screamed to the wind._

_ Sand filled his mouth, coating his tongue. He hacked and coughed, spatting it out. He couldn't give up, though. He knew he couldn't._

_ He blinked as another sound reached him. A babys cries. _

_ His chest hurt. Sanura...a-and the baby. Why wasn't there a baby before? Why did it suddenly change? _

_ Bakura forced himself to his feet. He couldn't remember, but he knew it was important._

_ He dropped again. No he couldn't fail now._

_ He stood up and forced himself forward. He saw a figure ahead. It was a woman._

_ She jerked forward suddenly, a blade coming out the front of her chest. She fell to the ground._

_ The sands once again covered his vision. _

_ When they cleared again, the child's cries reached him again._

_ He needed to find it. Before something happened to it. Before it was killed like_ she _had been._

_ The storm closed in again. His vision blackened, but the cries grew louder. Memories hovered at the edge of his mind._

_ He had to find it._

He jerked upright as a loud bang assaulted his ears. His eyes widened and he looked around,paniced. The teacher hovered above his desk, her hand on the book she had just slammed on his desk.

"Mr. Bakura, since you find it appropriate to sleep in my class, you can do your work in after school detention." She pushed her horn-rimmed glasses up the bridge of her nose and walked away.

Bakura felt his face heat up. He cursed his pale skin, knowing he was beet red.

He glared at the snickering students, effectivly shutting them up. His eyes met Anzu's blue ones. She stared at him with what he could only imagine was pity. His eyes narrowed and he pointedly looked away.

He knew this would bite him in the ass later.

When he was finally free for break, he tried to make straight for the fresh air of the outside.

Bakura stopped as a hand landed on his arm. He yanked his arm away and turned to stare down whoever stopped him. Chocolate eyes stared at him.

He sighed, "What is it, Hikari?"

Ryou frowned, furrowing his eyebrows. "Bakura, I told you not to call me that at school. Anyway, I'm not your hikari anymore." He shook his head. "Wait, this is all beside the point. What happened in class today?"

Of course. "I take it Mazaki told you."

Ryou nodded. "You know, Bakura, if you need to talk to someone, then-"

Bakura burst out laughing. "Really, you're offering to _talk_ to me?" He rolled his eyes.

Ryou shook his head. "Fine, fine. Just...after detention today, go to the pharmacy and pick up this." He handed Bakura a small slip of paper with a complicated word on it.

"What it this?"

"Sleeping medication. Helps with nightmares. Its my presription, but...I think you need it more."

Bakura opened his mouth to say something, but Ryou was already down the hall.

Detention was torture. An hour of sitting and doing nothing. Well, the teacher passed out a worksheet, but Bakura didn't even look at it.

Afterwards, he was walking home and saw the pharmacy.

He stopped and stared for a second before going in.

About a half hour later, he was leaving, medicine in hand.

He stared at the package, silently praying it would help.


	8. Chapter 8

**Kori: Hello again. Yay, writing again so soon feels good. I hope you all hadn't given up on me. Haha. Well, I've actually had a bit of trouble writing this week. One of my teachers quit today and, even though she didn't know what she was doing, the sub was a nightmare. And we have tests right around the corner. *Sigh* Anywho, I just want to keep writing and (hopefully) continue to get review cookies from anyone who'll give one. Read on!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own YuGiOh, but I do own a very cute kitty. : 3**

**Read and Review!**

**Fragments of the Past: Chapter 8**

Anzu tried to listen to the teacher, she really did, but this guy was so boring that even Ryou fell asleep in his class. She yawned and her gaze slid around the room, landing on the very person she'd been trying _not_ to look at.

Bakura was slumped on his desk, maybe sleeping, maybe not. She could only see the back of his head. He was two seats ahead of her and three rows over.

Anzu stared at his wild, snowy hair and smiled a bit. It had been a week since he'd fallen asleep in class and he'd gotten better. At least…it looked like he was getting more sleep.

The black circles under his eyes were less prominent, and he seemed a bit happier. Well, as 'happy' as Bakura could ever be.

He sat up suddenly and she blinked. So he hadn't been sleeping after all. Maybe that was a good thing. It at least meant he wasn't as tired as he normally was.

Anzu watched his hand move quickly across his notebook, he was writing something. Something that took up half the page and probably wasn't the English notes the teacher was writing on the board. She suddenly wished she was closer so she could read what he was writing.

Anzu shook her head. What Bakura wrote was his business, not hers. That didn't keep her from being curious though.

Anzu was so lost in thought that she didn't notice the teacher making his way down Bakura's row until he had snatched the notebook right out of Bakura's hands. Bakura stared at his empty hands for a moment before staring at the teacher.

The teacher looked down at the notebook, his glasses falling to the end of his nose. He read whatever was on it and sighed loudly.

"Since your little story is obviously so much more interesting than my class is, I guess you won't mind if I read it out loud. To…interest the other students."

Bakura's face went paler than normal, as if all his blood had been sucked away. He glanced around the class quickly, and Anzu caught a glimpse of his eyes. Crimson-brown and crackling with both anger and…fear? No, that couldn't be. She had just imagined that Bakura was afraid, she must have.

"Actually, s-sir," Bakura said in a low voice, stumbling over the formality. "I do mind, so if you could just give it back…" His tone was tense, almost threatening, but his voice wasn't as confident or steady as it usually was.

The teacher raised an eyebrow. "No, I don't think so. You'll get this back after class. I'll discuss this with you then. However," he said, closing the notebook. "I will not be reading this out loud."

Loud protests were raised throughout the class, who were desperate to know what kind of story the school 'badass' had written. The teacher quieted them down with a glare. "That is final," he said. "Open your books to page three hundred and ninety four."

Anzu sighed and opened her book, still looking at Bakura. He was still pale, but he was opening his book.

She shook her head again and started reading.

Bakura clenched his fists under his desk, fingernails digging into his palms. Fear still sat in his stomach, swirling around. He needed that notebook back as soon as possible.

One hand shook the slightest bit and he clenched his fist a bit tighter. That damn teacher! It wasn't like Bakura had been doing anything wrong. He knew English, and the teacher knew that. He was almost the top of his class in English and the damn man still…Ugh.

Bakura read a few paragraphs of the short story they were supposed to translate before just staring at the clock for the last twenty minutes of class.

When the bell finally rang, Bakura was the first one out of his seat. He had his bag over his shoulder and was at the teachers desk before the others were even out of their seats. The teacher looked coolly at him and waited until the other students were out of the room before even putting his book down.

Bakura tried not to let his impatience show. He was missing lunch, but he didn't really care about that.

The teacher finally stood up and held up the notebook. Bakura reached for it, but it was pulled away. "Discussion first. Then you can have this."

He opened the notebook to the page Bakura had been writing on. "Now, about your writing-"

"I know, I know," Bakura cut him off. "I should be paying attention, not goofing off. I won't do it again. Can I have it back now?"

The teacher pushed his glasses back up his nose. "Now, though all that may be true, that's not what I want to talk about. This-" He pointed to the page. "-is good. Your grammar skills could be honed and your spelling isn't the best but your writing itself is fantastic."

Bakura blinked, unsure of how to react. He was almost sure the guy was toying with him.

"I'm serious," he continued. "With a little work, this could be as good as, no, better than professional works. The imagery and word choice paint a beautiful picture and there is so much detail. It's just exquisite." He shook his head. "The way you describe this village, so far in the past, makes it sound like you've really been there."

Bakura almost smirked at the irony, but he was too confused. This teacher had called him here to _praise_ him?

"Now," the teacher said, suddenly serious again. "Have you ever considered writing as a career?"

"No," Bakura answered warily. "I haven't actually given much thought to my future." I didn't even have one until a few months ago.

"Well, you should think about it." The teacher handed him his notebook and a piece of paper. The paper was pale yellow and had the words 'Domino City Annual Short Story Competition.' Bakura looked back at the teacher.

"I think this would be a good opportunity for you, Mr. Bakura," he said. "Consider it."

Bakura gave an absentminded nod and started for the door.

"Oh, and Mr. Bakura," the teacher called. Bakura turned. "My name is Mr. Marx, as I'm sure you've forgotten."

Bakura blinked and nodded again, before heading to the cafeteria.

Anzu nervously watched the window, hoping to see Bakura in his tree. She wondered what had happened with the teacher. Bakura had seemed angry. What if he lost his temper at Mr. Marx?

Anzu involuntarily shuddered at the thought of Bakura angry. She'd seen it enough times for a lifetime.

She was suddenly aware of a voice speaking to her. She turned to the group and realized every single pair of eyes was on her. "What? Sorry, my minds wandering today."

Yugi shrugged, "We were asking if your interested in coming to the Halloween party at my house."

Anzu raised an eyebrow. "Halloween isn't for another two weeks, Yugi."

"Yeah, but costumes take a lot of time to put together," Joey pointed out.

Atem nodded his agreement. "So, are we going to pick costumes from a hat like at Anzu's birthday?"

Ryou shook his head. "No way. I'm never doing that again. I ended up in a skirt!" He glared at the guys. "I still think you rigged it."

"How could we rig it?" Yugi asked innocently.

"Considering I'm the only one who ended up as a girl, I pretty sure you figured out a way." Ryou crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not doing that this time."

"Oh come on, Ryou," Anzu said teasingly. "You know you made a cute girl. You had all those guys hitting on you afterwards."

Ryous face went bright red. "Don't bring that up," he said. "That was _not_ a good thing. As all of you seem to forget, I _am_ a guy. I shouldn't be hit on by guys!"

"Yeah. You'd much rather Vivian hit on you, wouldn't you?" Atem teased, referring to the girl Ryou had met at the skating rink last month.

Ryou's face turned a deeper red. He stuttered out a few protests before giving up and going back to his lunch.

Anzu laughed and looked out the window again. There was Bakura, sitting in his tree, like nothing had ever happened. She glanced down in her bag and say the bento box sitting there. She usually made Bakura's lunch nowadays. He really didn't seem to care if he ate or not and Ryou said he barely ate at home as it was.

She pulled the lunch out and stood up. "I'll be right back, guys."

"Going to give the thief his lunch?" Atem said, a disapproving look on his face.

Anzu stood a bit taller. She knew that Atem didn't trust Bakura, but she did…sort of. She at least trusted him not to hurt her. Physically.

"Yes," she said.

Ryou gave her a small smile before she walked away. He was the only one who was truly glad to have Bakura around. Anzu could see why. Even among their group of 'friends' Ryou was the odd man out sometimes. One parent gone, one as good as gone, Ryou needed someone around. Even if that someone was rude, cranky and couldn't care less about anyone or anything.

The others were wary of Bakura, but willing to give second chances. Atem was the only one who hated Bakura, and no one could really blame him. Anzu did think he was being a little unfair though. Since he'd gotten his own body, Bakura had done nothing illegal or otherwise incriminating that they knew of. That was the part Atem always hung on to, though. 'That we know of.'

Anzu half-ran out to the tree. She knew Bakura could see her coming, as he was putting his book and pencil in his bag and getting down from the branches.

"Hey, Bakura," she said kind of breathlessly, holding out his lunch.

Bakura took it quickly. "Mazaki," he greeted her like normal.

Anzu half wished he would call her by her first name, like he had that one time. She remembered how her heart had pounded when he said it. She felt her cheeks begin to flush. She blinked. Why was even the thought enough to make her blush?

Probably because he never called anyone by their first name, she decided, then realized Bakura was talking to her.

"What? Sorry, I'm doing that a lot today."

Bakura rolled his eyes and rapped his knuckles against her head, but not too hard. "Must be all the air in here," he said teasingly. "I asked if you'd informed your little cheer squad about last period." His gaze had intensified, his eyes boring into her.

Anzu shook her head. "Nope. It's your business, not mine, and not their's."

Bakura sighed, sounding relieved, before looking at her again. "Keep it that way. I'd rather not have to answer unnecessary questions."

Anzu nodded. "I wasn't going to anyway."

Bakura smirked and patted her head like a dog. "Good girl."

Anzu blushed and swatted his hand. "Cut that out," she pouted.

Bakura chuckled, a bit of a smile breaking through his mask.

Anzu let out a small whoop of victory. "Mission accomplished."

"What are you talking about now, Mazaki?" Bakura asked, trying to be serious, but still snickering.

"I got you to smile," she said happily. "You should do it more often." She grinned at his surprised expression.

He did have a nice smile.

The bell rang and Anzu looked up. "See you eighth period," she yelled ever her shoulder, dashing inside.

The next two periods were dull and went by quickly. It seemed that the only periods Anzu actually had fun in were the ones Bakura was in, about half of them.

Anzu sighed and tried to force the thought from her mind as she walked to P.E. her last class of the day, and one she shared with Bakura. She spotted the familiar head of hair not to far ahead of her and sped up to catch him. Her bag, heavy as hell, slipped down from her shoulder and hit her elbow, yanking her down. She threw it back on her shoulder as she caught up to him, halfway down the stairs.

"Hey, Bakura," she said, smiling.

He raised his eyebrow. "Are you always this annoyingly cheerful, or is it just to me?" His tone was serious, but his eyes glinted playfully.

"Ha ha," Anzu said sarcastically. "Am I not allowed to be in a good mood-"

Her sentence turned into a shriek as her bag slipped down again and this time pulled her forward, down the stairs. She tumbled headfirst and pulled her arms over her face to protect her head.

She suddenly felt arms wrap around her waist and shoulders, a person pressed to her back. A hand pushed her head down as the person twisted in midair so they hit the stairs and she landed on top of them. They slid down a few more steps before stopping.

Anzu looked up, trembling a bit. She blinked and looked at her savior. It was Bakura! She stood up quickly and held out a hand to help him up. He stared at the hand before ignoring it and getting up on his own.

"What are you all looking at?" he snarled at the students who were gawking.

They all looked down and mumbled apologies, moving on.

Anzu just stared at Bakura, unable to move.

"What is it, Mazaki?" he asked, still irritated.

She shook, starting to cry for no apparent reason.

Bakura's face lost all annoyance and he walked to her. "Are you hurt?"

"N-no…"

Bakura sighed with almost relief. "Good." He picked up his bag and Anzu's and slung Anzu's over his shoulder along with his. His eyes widened and he stared at the bag when his shoulder sunk down a few inches. "What the hell do you have in here, bricks?" he asked incredulously.

"Well, o-one," Anzu said nervously.

Bakura stopped and stared at her.

"It's just a limestone block for art class," Anzu said. She looked around nervously as her and Bakura began walk again. "W-why did you do that?" she asked.

"Did what? Save you?"

Anzu didn't trust her voice, so she nodded.

"Like I could really just let you crack your skull open in front of me," he said with a look of concern that made Anzu's heart flutter. What was that supposed to mean? Normally Bakura would give a reason like-

"Plus, Ryou would give me hell and the damn Pharaoh would probably say I pushed you."

Anzu laughed. There was the normal Bakura. Then she frowned again. "What about you, are you hurt?"

Bakura smirked. "It takes a lot more than that to hurt me, Mazaki." One of the bags hit his leg and he winced.

She glared at him. "Liar."

"What are you talking about, Mazaki?"

"You're hurt. You don't need to put on the tough guy act, Bakura. Especially since the guys are starting basketball in gym today!"

The former thief rolled his eyes. "Look, I am _not_ hurt. It's a bruise at most and I've lived through worse. It's not broken, so I'm fine."

Anzu stared at the ground as she walked. He _was_ hurt, and it was her fault. All because she was stupid and clumsy and fell down the stairs.

She stopped short as she ran into Bakura, who'd stopped outside of the gym. Bakura held her bag out to her, a strange look on his face. "Come on, Mazaki, stop sulking. Though…" a smirk stretched across his face. "If you're really that worried about me, you could be my nurse."

Anzu's face burned as she took her bag. "W-what?"

He snickered at her blush. "I'm joking, Mazaki. If you're allowed to annoy me every day, I'm allowed to tease you." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Although, that would sure piss off the Pharaoh."

Anzu rolled her eyes and smiled a bit.

Bakura patted her head like he'd done at lunch and started for the boys locker room. "Seriously, Mazaki," he said over his shoulder. "It's not your fault. So, stop moping."

Anzu's eyes widened. He was actually trying to make her feel better! 'Well,' she thought. 'It worked.'

Bakura sat on the bench, panting. The coach had been running them hard today, teaching them basketball. Luckily, Bakura hadn't been the only one clueless as to what the game even was. It was easy enough, but half an hour of solid running would tire anyone out.

He glanced over at the girls. They were doing a cheerleading unit and, low and behold, Anzu seemed to be having the most fun with it. At the moment, she and a couple other girls were sitting off to the side while their coach helped the others with some kind of jump.

Anzu was laughing and fixing her ponytail. Bakura sighed and leaned back, putting his head on the bleachers behind him.

"…hot isn't she?" one of the guys near him said.

Bakura opened one eye to see who they were talking about. Three guys were looking at Anzu's group and two were nodding.

Which one were they talking about?

Bakura looked at the girls next to Anzu. There were two of them, one was a blonde and the other had black hair. Both could be considered pretty, but wore to much make-up and accessories for Bakura's taste. As far as he could tell, they were considered the 'popular' girls, so that's who the guys were probably talking about.

They wouldn't be talking about Anzu. No way. She was too plain to attract any real attention, though her enthusiasm could get her noticed. She was also too intelligent for most of the guys here.

Bakura looked at Anzu again. Her blue eyes were sparkling with laughter and her smile was wide. She was the one of the three Bakura would notice, but- Wait, what? Why would he think that? Notice Anzu? As if. She wouldn't be noticed if she was wearing a neon sign. Bakura nodded to himself.

"Yeah, yeah," they were saying now. Then one of them looked at the group carefully. "What about the brunette?"

Bakura sat up, listening intently.

The others looked at her. "Yeah, I guess. She _is_ kinda pretty. She seems kinda smart though."

"Well, duh," the first one said. "I'm tired of dating ditz's anyway. It be more fun to lead on a smart one. A challenge."

Bakura was fuming. He doubted Anzu would fall for their stupid tricks, but that didn't really matter.

Before he thought about what he was doing, he had gotten up and walked across the gym to Anzu's group.

"Hey, Bakura," Anzu said, standing up. The other girls followed suit. The blonde seemed shy, looking at him, but not eye to eye. The black-haired one, on the other hand, stared at him openly.

"Hello," he said flatly. Why had he come over here again?

He walked to the wall and leaned against it. Anzu followed him and looked down at his leg. He remembered the slight bruise that had been there when he was getting dressed. With his luck nowadays, it was probably huge now and Anzu was going to worry again. Bakura looked down, too.

It started halfway up his calf and stretched under his shorts, which were about knee length. The bruise actually ended on his hip, but what showed was bad enough. It was big, blues, purples and greens mottled together.

He looked at Anzu. Her eyes were clouded with concern and guilt. He sighed. "Mazaki," he snapped. She looked up. "I thought we had this discussion, already. I'm fine. I just bruise easy."

She nodded slowly.

The blonde girl walked up to see what they were talking about and gasped. "That looks horrible! What happened?"

Anzu flinched and Bakura could have throttled the girl. He shrugged instead. "Fell down the stairs. Or more like," he flicked Anzu's forehead. "Had to save this little klutz from braining herself." He grinned until she smiled back.

The girl blinked. "Are you two dating?"

Bakura stared at her blankly for a moment, but Anzu reacted immediately. "No," she said loudly. "Nope, no way. Why would you think that?"

The girl frowned. "You just seemed close, is all…"

Bakura ignored her now, looking at Anzu. The quickness and ferocity of her denial confused Bakura a bit. No, they weren't dating. That thought had never entered his mind in all actuality. But that seemed a little over the top. Was he really _that_ bad?

What did it matter though?

Bakura looked over Anzu's shoulder and saw the guys staring at him. No, at Anzu. He glared at them and they looked away sheepishly.

"BAKURA!" The coach shouted. "GET YOUR BUTT BACK OVER HERE! YOU'RE NOT ON BREAK!"

Bakura rolled his eyes and left.

The girls, Stephanie and Ryoko, stopped her again outside the locker room after they'd gotten dressed. "So, you're really not dating Bakura?" Stephanie, the blonde, said.

"No," Anzu said quickly. She'd never pictured her and Bakura as a couple and doubted she ever could. He was a good friend though. If she told these girls that, they'd get the wrong idea and spread it around.

"You don't like him even a little bit?" Ryoko, the other one, said as they walked for the gym doors, halfway between the girls and boys locker rooms.

"Nope, not even the tiniest bit." Lie. It was a lie. She did like him, just not the way they wanted her to.

"Then why do you hang out with him? I mean, you give him lunch and he saved you on the stairs. Why?"

Anzu took a breath. If she was going to convince these girls she didn't like Bakura, she'd have to go all out.

"It's obligation really," she said. "If he hangs around me, I'm not going to make him leave. And he's Ryou's brother, I can't be mean to him, now can I? And as for the lunches, he doesn't eat otherwise, and to be honest-" not "- I just feel a bit sorry for him."

The blonde nodded. "He doesn't have many friends, does he?"

Anzu shook her head and tried her best for a haughty voice. "Nope. He's not social at all and if I didn't hang out with him, who would?"

Just then, someone pushed past her roughly, knocking her forward a couple inches.

She looked at the person and her heart dropped to her feet. It was Bakura and he was seriously pissed. "Uh…" she said, a bit scared of his rage.

He looked back for only a second, but it was enough for her to see the absolutely frozen expression he wore. His eyes weren't cold though. They were blazing with anger, hatred and the thing that tore at Anzu's heart the most was the look of betrayal. He stormed away.

Anzu looked back at the girls, who were both trying to hide their smirks. They knew he'd been standing there, what he'd heard.

She stared at the doors Bakura had just slammed through.

Well, shit.

**Kori: Thanks for reading. I hope you liked it and I'll see you in the next chapter.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Kori: Hey everybody, another week another chapter. Nothing interesting to report. *sigh* God, my life is boring… Well, no news is good news. Also, I've been watching the beginning of Battle City in Season two of Yugioh and I wanna give a shout out to the business man who says "All of this for a card game." when Yugi's about to duel the Rare Hunter who took Joey's Red Eyes. 3's to him! Now onto the story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh, or there would have been a lot more awesome business men. (see above)**

**Read and Review!**

**Fragments of the Past Chapter 9**

Bakura sat on his bed, holding a pocket knife loosely in his left hand. He pulled his arm back and let the knife fly, the blade spinning in midair and hitting the center of a crudely drawn circle on his wall. The blade buried itself halfway to the hilt in the plaster of the wall. There were a few other knives around it and dozens of slits in the wall from previous throws.

Bakura leaned back and grabbed his last knife. He ran the tip of his finger over the edge of the blade.

_ Honestly, I feel a bit sorry for him. _

Bakura bit the inside of his cheek, tasting blood. Rage boiled in his stomach and turned the edges of his vision red. He pulled back his arm and flung the knife into the wall. It sunk in all the way to the hilt, with none of the blade left showing.

Bakura stalked to the wall and yanked the knives out of it, one by one. The last one he'd thrown was stuck. He pulled harder and finally pulled it out. The blade was a bit scratched and dull now, covered in plaster dust.

He went back to his bed and dropped the knives on his pillow. He was about to throw when his door flung open. Startled, he threw the knife at the intruder, missing and hitting the doorway inches from Ryou's head.

Ryou's eyes were wide and he looked from the Bakura to the knife and back again. "Sorry," he squeaked fearfully, terror evident in his stare. He shut the door and Bakura could hear his footsteps as he ran back to his room.

Bakura sighed and stood to pluck the blade from the doorway. This was just chalking up to be a great week for him. First Anzu- no, Mazaki- Mazaki had led him on, pitying him and pretending to give a shit. Now, Ryou was terrified of him. He fell back on his bed, the blades shaking just above his head.

He was used to being tricked and feared, though. It was just this whole "human" thing that made everything seem a hundred times worse. He'd liked it better when there was nothing to care about but himself. When he could hurt and kill whoever he wanted to without the slightest bit of guilt. When Anz- Mazaki was just another person who stood in his way and Ryou was just another host.

Bakura flung his arm over his eyes. Yeah, things were a lot easier then.

Anzu looked in the mirror above her dresser. She pulled a brush through her tangled hair and watched the minutes tick by on her digital clock. She was going to get to school early today and find Bakura, to explain. She hadn't meant what she said at all. She actually liked having him around, for some reason.

Guilt pinched her stomach as she remembered the utter betrayal buried beneath the rage in his eyes. She slammed her hand down on her dresser in frustration. Why did he have to have heard that?

Then she realized the noise she was making and stopped, staring at the door and listening. She prayed he hadn't woken up.

After a few minutes, Anzu sighed with relief. She grabbed her bag and tiptoed out of her bedroom and down the hall. She made her way as quietly as possible through the living room of the apartment and to the front door. On the stained couch lay her father, sleeping off his hangover from the night before.

The scent of alcohol saturated the room and bottles littered the floor, a few broken. Anzu's nose scrunched up against the smell and she stepped outside and closed the door carefully. She turned and took a deep breath of the fresher air of the hallway before going to the elevator.

In the small metal contraption stood the old woman who lived next to Anzu and her father. The woman gave Anzu a concerned look. "Are you okay, dear?" she asked. "There was a lot of yelling last night."

"I'm fine," Anzu assured her. "I was in my room. I don't really know what he was mad about."

The woman frowned. "If you're sure…"

The elevator dinged as they reached the ground level. The doors shuddered open. "Of course I'm sure. Bye," Anzu said, hurrying out of the elevator and away from the woman and her questions.

By the time Anzu got to school, she was nervous. What if Bakura hated her? What if he wouldn't listen to her? She bit her lip and used her nails to pick at her cuticles. More what if's swirled in her mind. She tried to push them away. It was no use thinking those kind of things.

She saw Bakura standing under his normal tree. When he saw her walking toward him, he stiffened for a moment, but his face didn't change. It stayed the cold mask it had been yesterday, only this time his eyes were as frozen as the rest of him.

Anzu forced herself to walk to him. He wasn't going to hurt her, she told herself over and over. She didn't look at his face anymore, she couldn't. Instead, she stared at his hands, fists clenching and unclenching. His long fingers now tapped the side of his leg, then his fingers crossed, and now they were curling into a fist again.

She looked up, finally, as she reached him. He stared at her coolly. "Yes, Mazaki?" he said in a brittle voice.

Anzu had to bite her lip to stop it from trembling for a moment. "I-I wanted to talk to you about yesterday," she said.

His eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "I think I heard everything I needed to then. There's nothing to talk about."

"Yes there is," Anzu insisted. "I didn't really mean what I said. I was just-" She stopped as she realized he was ignoring her and talking again.

"I mean, isn't it for the best if we both know all ulterior motives for this…acquaintanceship." He smirked and looked her in the eye. "Now that your cards are on the table, wouldn't you like to know mine?"

Fear froze her stomach. "What do you mean?"

He rolled his eyes. "I mean, the reason I put up with you. We actually have that reasoning partly in common."

She stared at him. "What do you mean?" she repeated.

"The reason you put up with me and the reason I put up with you are the same." His smirk widened. "Pity, mainly."

"P-pity?"

Bakura gave a small nod. "Pity. I mean, what else is there to feel for such a desperate little girl?"

Anzu couldn't speak anymore.

"You say you're doing me a favor by hanging around me, but you're really just helping yourself. Aren't you, Mazaki? You want everyone to like you, to be your 'friend.' You just need the attention you get and can't stand it when even one person doesn't want to be part of your little group."

Anzu felt tears prickle behind her eyes. She couldn't believe he was saying this. She'd been trying to _apologize_!

Bakura leaned against the tree behind him nonchalantly, continuing. "I find it pathetic, so I put up with you. Honestly, I just felt sorry for someone with so little self confidence that they had to be liked by everybody-"

_ Slap!_

Bakura cut off in mid-sentence. Anzu stood in front of him, her hand still held across her body from where she had hit him.

The pain hit him a second later. He blinked and looked Anzu in the face. Her blue eyes were filled with tears and her lips trembled. Blush colored her cheeks and the tips of her ears red. A few drops spilled onto her cheeks and a sob tore out of her mouth. "Bastard," she whispered, turning and running across the lawn of the school.

Bakura watched her go, then realized that every pair of eyes around them was watching him. He glared at them, then his eyes met a pair of crimson-violet ones. The entire band of Anzu's friends were staring at him. The Pharaohs eyes glinted with anger, as did the mutts and his brown haired friend. The midget wasn't looking at him, he was staring after Anzu. Bakura finally looked at Ryou and almost flinched at the disappointment he found there.

It was almost worse than the anger that came from everyone else. Bakura knew how to deal with anger, not with disappointment.

He shoved his hands in his pockets, shot the gang one last glare and stormed to class.

The day was absolute torture. He couldn't focus on anything the teacher's said. He could only think back to that morning. Anzu's crying face appeared in his mind for the tenth time and Bakura had to shove down the guilt that was swirling in his stomach.

"No," he muttered to himself. "She doesn't deserve that. She was the one who said it first."

If only he could convince himself…

When English class rolled around, Bakura had to steel himself before walking in. Anzu was at her desk, writing in her notebook. She glanced at Bakura, her eyes red and puffy, before quickly turning her face to her desk.

Bakura sat down and tried his best to shut her out for the next hour. He was only barely able to, and even when he didn't notice her, she still popped into his head. Gods of Egypt, he hated guilt.

At lunch, he decided he couldn't take it anymore and walked away from the school. He took off his uniform jacket and stuffed it in his bag, untucking his shirt as he walked.

He found himself in the park where Anzu had first started becoming his problem. Bakura looked at the doors of the nearby ice cream shop and wondered if that kid was still working there.

He shook his head. He shouldn't be thinking about these things. He was trying to forget about her, not remember her more. He just needed some peace.

The smell of alcohol made him turn. It was the middle of the day, but there was a group of middle aged men surrounded by beer bottles and cans in an alleyway near the park. One of the drunker looking ones stared at him. "Why don't you bring your pretty little self over here, girlie?" he called out, slurring terribly.

Bakura felt rage well up. He stepped toward the man and punched him in the face. The man fell to the ground, holding his bleeding nose.

"Do I still look like a girl?" Bakura growled, grabbing the mans filthy shirt and wiping the blood from his knuckles.

"N-no man, I'm sorry," the man yelled. Bakura dropped him and looked evenly at the other men.

One of them began laughing and stumbled over, helping the still bleeding man to his feet. "Sorry about this one," he said in a relatively normal voice. "Get him a few drinks and anything with long hair looks like a chick."

Bakura shrugged and eyed the unopened six-pack.

A man with horribly rotted teeth saw his look. "Yer in high school ain't yah? Yah drink at all?"

Bakura's gaze flitted around the group. "Not recently, but I wouldn't turn down one."

The man tossed him a can, which he caught with ease. "Just don't knock yourself out," he warned.

Bakura popped the top. He hadn't had a drink in forever, and right now he really needed one. He closed his eyes and downed half the can. He drank the rest quickly and held out his hand for another.

Half an hour later, he left the group. His head was a bit lighter and a buzz vibrated through his body. He put a hand in his bag and felt the six-pack he'd taken, which was wrapped in his jacket.

He'd only had a few cans and was barely buzzed, but it was better than he'd felt in a long time.

He made it home around two o'clock and flopped on the couch. Ryou would be home in a couple hours, so he had time to kill. He pulled out a beer can and grabbed the remote.

At least he wouldn't be bored.

Ryou noticed the smell of beer as soon as he went into the house. He frowned and looked in the living room. The television was on, but Bakura wasn't really watching. He was sipping at a blue can of golden liquid.

Without really thinking about what he was doing, he grabbed the can from Bakura's hand and glared at him. "What are you doing? You just upset Anzu, disappear from school and then I come home to find you drinking? Where did you even get this? You may be five thousand or whatever, but you're physically only seventeen. You can't drink! What the hell are you thinking?"

He threw that can and the rest of the empty six-pack away. When he walked back in the living room, Bakura was standing up and glaring at him.

"Well, I'm sorry," Ryou said. "But you can't just drink. It's illegal! What if someone caught you? And why did you disappear from school anyway? If it's because of Anzu, then what did you do? She won't tell anybody anything. And if you're just going to get depressed about it, then you shouldn't have said anything in the first place-"

Ryou's back hit the wall. Bakura was holding him by the throat. His face was only a few inches from Ryou's and his breath reeked of alcohol. "What I do is none of your business!" He growled.

Ryou struggled against the strangling hand. "B-Bakura…" he choked.

Bakura held him there with one hand and Ryou saw the other hand go back. He knew what was coming and closed his eyes.

The blow was hard, forcing the little bit of breath Ryou had from his lungs. Another fist hit the side of his face and his teeth cut into his cheek. The salty taste of his own blood filled his mouth.

His eyes fluttered open and he coughed, spraying blood on Bakura's shirt. He thought Bakura would only hit him more for that, and tensed for the blow, but it didn't come. Ryou blinked, blackness dancing at the edge of his vision. He couldn't breathe, he could barely think. One hand clawed at Bakura's and the other pressed against the former yami's chest.

Ryou thought he felt the fingers loosen a bit before be passed out.

Ryou regained consciousness slowly. He heard noises around him, felt something cold on his face and chest, and could tell he was on something soft.

He finally opened his eyes and glanced around. He was in his room, lying on his bed. He tried to sit up, only to have a hand push his shoulder down. "You shouldn't get up," a gruff voice said.

Ryou flinched away from the touch and looked at Bakura. The teen looked tired, but his eyes were now clear. He pulled his hand away quickly as Ryou obeyed, not wanting to face Bakura's anger again.

Fear made Ryou's lower lip tremble. Bakura hadn't actually hit him since he got his own body. Harming him or any of his friends was a direct violation of his deal with Shadi. In fact, Bakura could get sent away for this. Ryou didn't want it to come to that though. Bakura had seemed to be getting better.

Suddenly, Bakura reached across Ryou. Ryou pulled as far away as he could, a squeak of fear making it out of his mouth before he clamped his lips shut. Bakura picked up a bundle of cloth beside Ryou's head and touched it to his cheek. He cleared his throat. "You probably shouldn't move for a while. I-I don't know how bad your chest is. I don't think anything's broken, but…" He trailed off, not meeting Ryou's eyes.

Was this his way of trying to apologize? Ryou reached up tentatively, touching the hand that was holding the ice pack. Bakura looked at him, something akin to guilt in his eyes.

"I don't think you broke anything," Ryou said quietly. "I've had worse." Bakura flinched a bit at the reminder.

Ryou sat up and this time Bakura didn't try to stop him. He sucked in a breath through his teeth at the burst of pain, but it was more sore than anything. Bakura watched him as he removed the ice pack and lifted his shirt a bit. There was a dark purple and blue bruise covering a six-inch circle right below his ribcage.

Ryou probed it with his fingertips. It hurt, but he was sure nothing was broken. He dropped his shirt and looked at Bakura. Bakura now had his knees up to his chest and was looking at them instead of Ryou.

He put a hand on Bakura's head. The former yami looked up and his face was blank.

"Bakura," Ryou said. "I'm fine. It's okay. I'm not going to tell anyone, so you won't get in trouble for this."

"You think that's what I'm worried about?" Bakura growled. He pushed Ryou's hand off of his head.

"Then what are you worried about?"

"I'm not worried about anything," Bakura said. "I just," he put his head in his hands, "I don't think I'm cut out for this whole 'human' thing"

Ryou blinked. This certainly wasn't what he was expecting. "What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean. I'm no good for anything! All I can do is hurt and kill and terrorize! I'm not meant to be 'human' and I never will be!"

He refused to look at Ryou, and Ryou could understand. Bakura never needed anyone, and now here he was, pouring his inner emotions out for Ryou to see.

Ryou hesitantly leaned forward. "Yes you will," he said, putting a hand on Bakura's shoulder.

Bakura just looked at him.

Ryou stared back. "I'm not lying or trying to make you feel better. That doesn't work with you and we both know it. You only became human again a few months ago. This is all still new to you."

Bakura snorted. "But I was human at some point five millennia ago. I'm just no good at it."

Ryou shrugged. "I can't argue with your first point. I still think you just need time to get used to it again. After five thousand years of just relying on yourself, you aren't used to needing people."

"I don't _need_ anybody."

"Nobody can survive on their own, Bakura. That's part of why you're having trouble. You distance yourself from everyone."

Bakura glared at him. "That's for good reason. Every time I even start to let someone in, something happens. My parents, my friends, Mazaki, S-sanura…" Bakura's voice got very quiet at the last name, like he hadn't even meant to say it.

Ryou could tell he didn't want to talk about it and respected that. Bakura was actually opening up a bit. "What happened with Anzu?"

Rage flashed in Bakura's eyes. "She only pities me. I'm just her charity case."

"Why do you say that?"

"I heard her say it herself! To her little group in gym."

Ryou frowned. "I don't think Anzu would really do that."

"I'm not lying."

"I never said you were, Bakura. Maybe she was just saying that stuff because if she was actually friends with you, those girls would get the wrong idea."

Bakura tilted his head a little. "What?"

"They would probably tell people she liked you or something. Anzu might not have wanted to give them any ammunition, so she lied. What did you say to her anyway?"

"That's none of your business." Bakura's eyes hardened. Ryou could tell he was done talking.

"Okay." Ryou laid back down, wincing again. Bakura stood to leave. "Thanks for the ice pack, by the way," Ryou said to his back. "And for bringing me up here."

Bakura stopped and looked back at him. "Sorry," he muttered. "For hitting you." Then he left as quickly as he could.

**Kori: Okay, this took longer than it should have to type. FIVE HOURS! Anywho, bye bye for now and I'll see you in the next chapter.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Kori: Hey guys. I know I said I'd post every week or two, but as I have uploading access only once a week…well, I'll be trying my best. Now is not the time for apologies though. Nope, it is TIME FOR THE STORY!**

**Disclaimer: I wish I did but I don't….shouldn't it be obvious that I don't own Yugioh? Because if I did, Bakura would have been forgiven and renewed like all the other villains were.**

**Fragments of the Past Chapter Ten**

Anzu was perched on the railing that followed to sidewalk to the school. Her bag sat on the ground beside her and her sapphire eyes watching as the rest of the student body trickled in from all directions.

None of her friends had arrived yet, so she was somewhat bored. Her eyes caught two familiar white heads. One turned toward her and walked briskly to her, while the other one simply stalked to his normal tree.

As her friend got to where she was, Anzu smiled. "Hey, Ryou- What the hell happened?" she gasped.

Ryou grimaced. His face was partially hidden but his long white bangs, but Anzu could still see that half of it was somewhat swollen and colored a deep purple.

"I-" he started, looking around quickly to make sure no one had heard. "I'll explain later. For now, do you have any make up or anything that could possibly make this not look so…bad?"

Anzu was silent as she studied his expression. He seemed a little scared and a little desperate. "Bakura did this, didn't he?" she said in a low voice.

Ryou reluctantly nodded. "But it's not what you think," he said quickly, seeing her furious expression. "He really didn't mean it. I'll tell you everything…but only if you help me cover this up."

Anzu knew she should interrogate him right then and there, but one look at him with his eyes, wide and begging, had her sighing with defeat. "Fine…but nothing I have will cover _that _completely."

"That's alright. Can you at least make it light enough so I can pass it off as an accident?"

"You want me to help you lie, Ryou?" Anzu couldn't believe that her sweet friend was actually planning to trick the others.

"I don't like it any more than you do," he snapped, then his eyes softened. "It's just…they wouldn't understand. They'd kill him. He's the closest thing to a family I have!" Ryou's lip trembled and tears shone in his chocolate eyes.

Anzu made her decision quickly. Much as she hated lying to her friends and knowing Ryou was hurt…she understood where Ryou was coming from. Bakura had been there since he was little, so he probably was like family.

"Alright," she said a little reluctantly. She took Ryou's hand in her own and pulled him around the corner of the school to a place where the bushes and trees were left untrimmed. Before they disappeared entirely into their hiding place, she glared at the white-haired teen across the schoolyard. Then she turned back to the space. The foliage formed a little space that was big enough that they could stand, but was secluded enough that no one was likely to find them.

Anzu reached in her bag and pulled out her small make up bag. As she found her foundation, she gave Ryou a stern look. "Ryou, as I'm doing this, you _will_ tell me what happened."

She pulled out the various creams and powders she needed and then got to work on covering the monstrous thing. "Starting now," she said pointedly.

Ryou sighed and nodded as she spread a thick, flesh colored cream on his cheek. "You know how Bakura disappeared from school yesterday at lunch?"

"Yes."

"Well, it seems that he met some drunks in the park, got hit on, punched the guy out and then got invited to have a drink."

"They would offer a drink to a high school student?" Anzu said, shocked.

Ryou gave her a look before continuing. "Well, he drank some and brought a few home with him. When I got home, he was finishing up the last one. I got mad and took them and threw them away. I also yelled at him…quite a bit. He got mad and…" Ryou gestured to his face. "This happened."

"Him being drunk doesn't excuse it, Ryou."

"I know, I know. But when I woke up, he had taken me upstairs and put ice packs on the bruises. That's why my face isn't as swollen as it should be."

Anzu frowned. He was right. His cheek should be puffed up like a blowfish right now, but it was barely swollen. "That still doesn't-"

"He apologized," Ryou said simply. "He's…never apologized _ever_ before…for anything. He talked to me a bit, though he still wouldn't tell me why he'd gotten so mad."

He looked her in the eyes. "What did he say to you yesterday? I've been wondering about that."

Anzu looked away. She had been trying not to think about that particular conversation, as it only served to twist her heart painfully. She understood why he had said it but she couldn't help but be scared that that was how he actually felt.

That she was just his charity case, an object of pity and amusement.

Her teeth were once again gnawing at the already raw spot on the side of her cheek, the same place she'd been chewing away since yesterday.

"He just told me the truth," she finally said.

"That you were a charity case?" he said softly.

Anzu jolted as if she had been shocked. "H-how did you…?"

He shrugged. "Because that's what Bakura said that you said to some of your friends."

Anzu swallowed hard. "I did say something along those lines…but I was just trying to get them to leave me alone. He didn't have any need to get so mad. Besides…" she focused on blending the make up together. "I'm pretty sure he meant every word he said. That's all there is to say on the matter. Now…there you go."

She dusted off her hands and admired her handiwork. "That looks good." It really did. The ugly bruise had been lightened to a faded lavender shade that barely stood out from his face, especially when it was shadowed by his hair.

Ryou smiled. "Thank you, Anzu." He gaze got serious and he opened his mouth, probably to continue their previous conversation.

Anzu was thankful when she heard Joey's loud voice searching for them. "You're welcome," she said quickly before hurrying out of the hiding place. She saw her friends and plastered a smile to her face as she reached them.

Ryou followed a few steps behind them. He kept his head down a bit, but still gave the group a sweet smile. "Hello," he said in his naturally cheery voice.

"What were you two doing back there?" Yugi asked a slightly suspicious undertone to his voice.

Anzu shrugged. "I swear I saw someone run back there. I wanted to check it out and Ryou came with me because I didn't want to back there alone." She shrugged again.

There was still some suspicion in her friend's faces, so Anzu sighed. "Really, guys? It's _Ryou_, for Gods sake!"

That seemed to soothe her friends. Of course they believed _Ryou_ would never do anything ungentlemanly. And he wouldn't.

The bell pulled Anzu from her thoughts and she went inside.

X

Bakura watched as his former Hikari disappeared inside with the rest of them. His eyes rested on Anzu as she lagged a bit behind the others, but he made himself look away. He could not, would not, be distracted by her. When he thought of the whole situation, his head and stomach hurt.

It was obvious that she hated him now. Probably even more so since she had helped Ryou. He'd seen the shock in her face when she saw the damage. He'd seen the completely venomous look she'd shot at him before they disappeared behind the school.

Bakura sighed and went to his first period. He didn't have Anzu in this one, but he had her next period and he was very much _not _looking forward to it. At least she sat at the front of the class, and him the back.

He barely heard any of his homeroom teachers droning, his hand moving across his journal as he wrote more to what Mr. Marx had read just the other day. It had expanded from half a page to almost a fourth of the notebook. It was everything he could remember…everything that he was afraid to forget.

His hand shook sometimes as he wrote, but it was either this or think about- 'No,' he scolded himself. He wouldn't think of her or the mess he was in.

But he couldn't help it once the thoughts had entered his mind. Anz- Mazaki hated him that much he was sure of. In fact, he was surprised that she hadn't told her friends what he'd done.

Questions swirled through his head and he dug the tip of his pencil a little too hard into the paper. The lead snapped off and flew across his desk, leaving a dent in his paper.

Bakura mentally sighed and leaned back in his seat. He could feel the beginnings of a headache behind his eyes.

Gods of Egypt this was going to be a long day.

(XxX Time Skip XxX)

It was finally last period. The tardy bell would ring in a few seconds, but Bakura didn't care. He dragged himself to the gym and was about to open the door to the boy's locker room when he heard footsteps quickly moving towards him.

He whirled around only to feel something hit him in the head very hard. He stumbled to the side from the force of the blow, his ear ringing and his sight a bit blurry.

Once his vision cleared, he looked up to see a very pissed off Mazaki.

Her cheeks were flushed with the same anger that flamed in her sapphire eyes. Her lower lip trembled as much as her hands did, one of which was holding a world history textbook.

"What the hell, Mazaki?" Bakura snarled, clutching the side of his face. "D-did you just hit me with a textbook?"

"He trusted you!" she hissed at him, ignoring his questions. "He's always tried his damn best to please you and then you go and do _that_ to him? How could you?"

Bakura dropped his hand from his cheek and stared at her evenly. She glared back, not even flinching when the bell rang.

He finally sighed. "I suppose you're talking about Ryou?"

"You suppose correctly," she said coldly.

Bakura bit the inside of his cheek. He felt horrible for what he'd done, he really did. Of course, she would never believe that. Oh no, she thought he was an emotionless monster.

He forced his usual smirk to his lips. "What exactly do you want, Mazaki? For me to tell you how guilty I feel? Fine, I regret it. That doesn't change anything. I could give so many excuses as to why I did it, but it won't make a bit of difference. I did it because my drunk-ass self felt like doing it. My only question is, why haven't you ratted me out to your little cheer squad yet? I know you want to."

"I didn't tell them because Ryou practically begged me not to." Her eyes seemed to soften as she took in what he had said. "You really regret it?"

Bakura nodded slightly and sighed again. "How can I not? Now that I'm technically human again, there's not much I can do about the fucking emotions. And don't look so surprised, Mazaki. I'm not a robot."

"No," she admitted. "But you certainly don't give a shit about the few emotions you do have."

"Shut up," Bakura growled. "You know nothing about me."

"Well I was trying to get to know you before you overreacted to something you weren't even meant to hear!"

"'Over reacted'!" Bakura said incredulously. "How did I overreact? I merely thought that the air should be cleared. All-"

"All cards put on the table," Mazaki hissed. "I remember that line well enough. But guess what, Bakura? My cards were not on the table. There was a reason you weren't supposed to hear what I said to those girls!"

"Because you didn't want to lose your pathetic-"

"Shut up and listen to me!" she all but yelled. "I didn't mean a thing I said to those girls! You know nothing, Bakura! Had they found out that I was friends with you, all hell would have broken loose! Rumors would have spread like wildfire! I don't give a shit because I've been through all of that before. I'm used to people looking at me weird! I'm used to rumors about my life! You're not! You were having a hard enough time adjusting without those bitches making it harder by spreading lies!"

"What would they have said that would have been so bad?" Bakura said as calmly as he could.

"They would have convinced the school that we were dating," she said with an almost disgusted look. "I was merely trying to save us both from that inconvenience."

Bakura felt something twist in his gut. She really did hate him; he could see it in her eyes.

"But this is all for the best, I guess," she said, shrugging. "Now I know the truth and you no longer have to force yourself to spend time with someone as pathetic as me."

She turned and entered the girl's locker room, leaving Bakura speechless for the first time in five thousand years.

(XxX More Time Skip XxX)

Bakura frowned at the television. He could hear Ryou in the kitchen, pots clanging together as he prepared dinner for the pair.

His mind was a whirl of questions, like it always was after had a conversation with Mazaki.

He pressed his fingertips to his temples. He would admit that he felt guilty, though never out loud. He wanted to fix this, if only to relieve his suddenly for frequent migraines.

"If you're that eager to get back on her good side, just apologize," said a soft voice from the kitchen door.

Bakura glanced back at Ryou. Before he could even open his mouth, his former host interrupted. "And don't even try to deny it, I know you want to." There was something akin to amusement in his eyes, with the tiniest bit of unease. He was obviously trying his best not to seem afraid. He was a better actor than Bakura gave him credit for.

"It's not like she would believe me, even if I wanted to apologize. Which I don't," he said pointedly.

Ryou shrugged. "Well, if you happen to change your mind, I have an idea."

He met Bakura's eyes easier this time and held the gaze until Bakura spoke. "Spit it out already!" Bakura growled halfheartedly.

Ryou had the slightest smirk on his face. "You might not like it very much."

Bakura raised an eyebrow. "And why would that be?"

"Because it involves you attending a Halloween party…"

Bakura groaned, but sighed and stood. He trudged into the kitchen and leaned both elbows against the counter.

"Go on."

** Kori: Next chapter: the party! I wonder what Ryou has planned? Well, of course I know, but I'm not going to tell you! That would just ruin everything. See you in the next chapter!**


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